Quaker Lobby Applauds House Passage of H.R.1, an Important Step
Forward for U.S. Democracy

March 08, 2019 02:48 PM Eastern Standard Time

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) praised today’s
House passage of the For The People Act (H.R.1). The legislation is
designed to improve election integrity by focusing on voting and
election laws, campaign finance, and ethics.

“The government and governance of our country works best when all of our
citizens feel empowered and are involved in our democracy on a free,
fair, and equal basis. That is fundamental to a healthy society. And
while no one bill or piece of legislation can act as a salve or
cure-all, H.R.1 is a large step in the right direction,” said Diane
Randall, FCNL’s executive secretary. “We are hopeful the Senate will
follow the House’s lead and take action on this issue which is
foundational to our democracy.”

The For The People Act expands early voting while simplifying absentee
voting. It enhances federal support for voting system security. It
expands disclosure requirements for donations and campaign transparency
while creating a multiple matching system for small campaign donations.
Lastly, it will ease the creation of automatic voter registration rolls
as well as restoring voting rights to the formerly incarcerated.

“It seems that every two years something goes wrong during our national
elections and more Americans are losing faith in the integrity of our
elections. This isn’t new. In fact, it’s been the norm since at least
Florida 2000. What’s new is serious Congressional action to address the
situation,” said José Woss, FCNL’s legislative manager for criminal
justice and election integrity. “The average House election costs more
than $1 million and Senate races regularly top $10 million. Unregulated
campaign donations ensure the voices of ordinary people are drowned out
by waves of anonymous money.”

“We hold our government institutions and officials to rigorous ethical
standards of fairness and honesty.We should not stand for
anything less when it comes to campaign finance, voter suppression, and
election integrity,” Woss concluded.

The bill now moves to the Senate where its prospects are currently
unclear.